Last April’s American Atheists convention in Seattle was taped by C-SPAN. Excerpts from it will be airing this Saturday night at 8:00 PM (EST) on the show American Perspectives. If they included my speech in there, drinks all around! (via NoGodBlog) Read more
The Chicago Tribune gave a “meh” review to the new Second City e.t.c. show called Pratfall of Civilization. But critic Chris Jones did refer to this bit about Mitt Romney: “He’s got a weird religion,” says the guy in the white coat, sticking the Republican presidential candidate into an identity-altering machine designed to convert a Mormon into an evangelical. “It scares a lot of fundamentalist Christians.” A crazy, wild-haired, monkeylike assistant called Geraldine Ferraro hits a few levers, and a… Read more
Doug Marlette, the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist, died Tuesday in a car crash. He was never afraid to point fingers at the Christian Right, social conservatives, or fundamentalists of any stripe. If you have some time, look through his cartoon portfolio. There are also some “best of” and “controversial” links at the top of the page (under “Political Cartoons”) that you need to check out. Here are a few that stand out to me: This last one (below) caused a… Read more
Here’s a fun song by a band called Dandi Wind. It’s called “Balloon Factory.” You can listen to (or download) it here. Having the lyrics in front of you might help decipher what he’s saying. Even if you don’t listen to the song, give them a read: 1. I was Working overtime at the balloon factory When I made I made I made a discovery I pulled it from the discard pile and oh so carefully Brushed sawdust from the… Read more
If the “Trolley Problem” sounds unfamiliar to you, then don’t look it up on Google just yet. Instead, download this mp3 of the recent episode of This American Life (begin listening at the 5:05 mark). It’s a great explanation of the moral thought experiment… and it has sound effects! Afterwards, you can check out Wikipedia for more. Richard Dawkins also discusses the Trolley Problem in The God Delusion with some depth (pages 223-226 in the American hardcover edition). As Dawkins… Read more
On Thursday, a Hindu Chaplain from Nevada will deliver the opening prayer for the U.S. Senate. Here are some things Rajan Zed has said about his upcoming speaking engagement: “I believe that despite our philosophical differences, we should work together for the common objectives of human improvement, love, and respect for others.” … [The prayer will be] “universal in approach.” … “July 12 will be an illustrious day for all Americans and a memorable day for Indian Americans when prayers… Read more
(I posted this a couple days ago, but it was accidentally deleted, so I wanted to put it back up.) It’s from a theist who had a question he wanted to pose to readers. He seems sincere about wanted answers so I don’t mind putting it up here. I have a question to pose to the community of those with an atheist perspective for which I’m eager to get an answer. To give a brief background, I am a theist…. Read more
As the Atheist Alliance International conference draws closer, I will be interviewing a number of the speakers/presenters for this website and elsewhere. One interview will be conducted with Eugenie Scott. Scott is the Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education and one of the most vocal opponents to Intelligent Design. She is often quoted by the media as an expert in science education. She is also the author of Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction and Not in Our… Read more
Umm… good thing no one gets easily offended on this site: That’s the cover of Remy Ma’s new mixtape. The commenters at her MySpace seem to like it. The art is by Miami Kaos. (via Rants and Raves of a Black Skeptic) Read more
